Obstacles to lean business culture outlined

Staff resistance to change, inadequate training, and thinking in silos are among the main obstacles to achieving a lean business culture.

This is one of the key findings of qualitative research at GE Healthcare, GE Oil & Gas, and manufacturer James Walker.

The research is part of the Oracle Lean Leaders’ Circle (OLLC) programme, which is a joint project by the software suppler and the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC) of the Cardiff Business School.

The OLLC was formed in November 2006 to explore the opportunities, drivers and challenges of aligning IT and lean enterprise management methodologies aimed at eliminating waste and increasing efficiency.

The latest research confirms initial finding that human influences are a greater barrier to the implementation of lean processes than IT factors.

The research report concludes that a key enabler for lean enterprise is a deep understanding in the IT team of the full range of processes governing the business’s successful operation.

Ben Waller, senior research associate at LERC says, “The next step is to research ways of implementing the findings of the analysis that has been done.”

Cardiff Business School >>

Oracle >>

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